Download a PDF of the Key Takeaways
Nearly every student in the United States is out of school this spring, shut out of their traditional schools and classrooms for a prolonged period to slow the spread of COVID-19, the illness caused by the novel coronavirus. It’s an unprecedented disruption of academic routines—with a high-risk of profound learning losses. It’s also a troubling disruption to the norms of teaching social-emotional learning skills such as managing emotions and resiliency at a time when children will need it the most.
Even with prevalent support for teaching social-emotional learning and a growing understanding of how deeply intertwined skills like building healthy peer relationships and responsible decision making are with academic success, there are big challenges when it comes to the reality of teaching SEL on a grand scale when times are normal. But these are not normal times, so what can schools do to keep social-emotional learning going when the kids are at home and the educators are too?
In this online summit, Education Week reporters and expert guests discuss the kinds of preparation and support teachers need to develop students’ social-emotional skills both in regular classrooms and virtual interactions, what districts leaders can do to support schools’ efforts to implement SEL when schools are open and when students are learning at home, and how educators can make good decisions about SEL curricula and programs that fit the needs of their students, teachers, and families.
Get your questions answered Tuesday, April 14, 2020, from 1-3 p.m. ET*, and join a deep dive on how to make social-emotional learning work in your school, whether the learning is in-person or virtual.
Agenda
1:00–3:00 p.m. ET | Discussions Open
Education Week journalists and their special guests provide practical takeaways about making social-emotional learning work for schools, teachers, and students.
Education Week journalists and their special guests provide practical takeaways about making social-emotional learning work for schools, teachers, and students.
1:00–3:00 p.m. ET
What Does Social-Emotional Learning Look Like in High School?
Many educators see SEL as something that’s best suited for the elementary grades. But experts say high school—when students are dealing with a combustible mix of issues such as increased rates of depression, exposure to drugs and alcohol, and uncertainty about their futures—is a critical time for schools to promote and teach social emotional skills.
Arianna Prothero covers technology, student well-being, and the intersection of the two for Education Week.
Christina Rodriguez
Administrative Intern,
Dallas Independent School District (ISD)
Juany Valdespino-Gaytán
Executive Director of Engagement Services,
Dallas Independent School District
1:00–3:00 p.m. ET
Superintendents. Principals. Teachers. How These Key Players View Social-Emotional Learning in Schools
The Education Week Research Center shares results from its national survey of district leaders, principals, and teachers on their attitudes about social-emotional learning and what they see as the biggest challenges and opportunities for wide adoption and practice of SEL in schools.
Holly Kurtz is the director of the EdWeek Research Center.
1:00–3:00 p.m. ET
How Can Teachers Keep SEL Going When Students Aren't in School?
Students need strong coping skills more than ever as they deal with massive upheaval to their educations and daily lives. How can educators help students adjust to this new reality and foster their social-emotional skills when they aren’t in class together? Two experts discuss which SEL skills schools should be focusing on for students and how teachers can do that work in a remote environment.
Rose Prejean-Harris
Director of Social-Emotional Learning,
Atlanta Public Schools
Marc A. Brackett
Marc A. Brackett, the founder and director of the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence and a professor in the Child Study Center of Yale University, is the author of Permission to Feel.
1:00–3:00 p.m. ET
Social-Emotional Learning and Curriculum: How to Make Smart Choices for Your Schools
As SEL has caught on and more schools are embracing it, principals especially say a formal curriculum or program is essential for success. With so many programs available, how can district and school leaders make sense of the market and make the smartest choices for the needs of their students, teachers, and families?
Catherine Gewertz was a writer for Education Week who covered national news and features.
Alexandra Skoog-Hoffman
Director of Research-Practice Partnerships,
CASEL
1:00–3:00 p.m. ET
Making Social-Emotional Learning Manageable for Teachers: It’s All About PD
There’s a big gap between educators’ desire to teach SEL in schools and their ability and skills to do it well. Much of that gap, experts and advocates agree, stems from too little professional development for teachers already working in schools and little to no curriculum in teacher-preparation programs. What can schools do to ensure that teachers know how to incorporate the teaching of SEL skills into their everyday classroom practice?
Madeline Will is an assistant managing editor for Education Week, leading coverage of school leadership and general education trends.
Pamela Lathrop
Principal,
High Plain Elementary School, Andover, Mass.
Julie Carter
North East Independent School District, San Antonio, Texas,
High Plain Elementary School, Andover, Mass.
1:00–3:00 p.m. ET
Grounding Social Emotional Learning in Cultural Assets
Content provided by Chan Zuckerberg Initiative
Deeply transformative social emotional learning (SEL) work needs to be embedded in schools in order to create safe learning environments for students. One way to embed SEL practices in schools is through adult professional development. When serving students from historically marginalized backgrounds, educators must see their students’ cultural and racial identities as assets when developing SEL and academic competencies and skills. In our discussion, we’ll explore how Tucson Unified School District and Black Teacher Collaborative are helping educators create environments that build on their students’ racial and cultural assets.
Deeply transformative social emotional learning (SEL) work needs to be embedded in schools in order to create safe learning environments for students. One way to embed SEL practices in schools is through adult professional development. When serving students from historically marginalized backgrounds, educators must see their students’ cultural and racial identities as assets when developing SEL and academic competencies and skills. In our discussion, we’ll explore how Tucson Unified School District and Black Teacher Collaborative are helping educators create environments that build on their students’ racial and cultural assets.
Gabriela López
Senior Manager,
Learning Measurement, Chan Zuckerberg Initiative
Luis Ornelas
Whole Child Program Associate,
Chan Zuckerberg Initiative
Norma Gonzales
Program Coordinator,
Culturally Responsive Pedagogy and Instruction, Tucson Unified School District, Tucson, Ariz.
Hiewet Senghor
Founder & CEO,
Black Teacher Collaborative
1:00–3:00 p.m. ET
Adult Social-Emotional Learning and the Power of Collective Efficacy
Content provided by Second Step
What factors do you think affect student achievement most?
Research shows that collective efficacy—the shared belief that together school staff can achieve goals and overcome challenges to positively affect student learning—is the greatest factor affecting student achievement. There are many ways to build collective efficacy among school staff, but it starts with supporting educators’ and leaders’ social-emotional well-being. In this conversation, learn more about the drivers behind and strategies for building collective efficacy in your school from Committee for Children, the creators of Second Step SEL.
What factors do you think affect student achievement most?
- Motivation?
- Parental involvement?
- Prior achievement?
Research shows that collective efficacy—the shared belief that together school staff can achieve goals and overcome challenges to positively affect student learning—is the greatest factor affecting student achievement. There are many ways to build collective efficacy among school staff, but it starts with supporting educators’ and leaders’ social-emotional well-being. In this conversation, learn more about the drivers behind and strategies for building collective efficacy in your school from Committee for Children, the creators of Second Step SEL.
Matt Pearsall
Community Manager,
Committee for Children
Mylien Duong
Senior Research Scientist,
Committee for Children, and Affiliate Assistant Professor, University of Washington
Tammy Fisher
School Counselor, Adjunct Professor, Author, and Instructional Coach
1:00–3:00 p.m. ET
Building Awareness of Adult SEL Competence and Its Impact on Teaching and Learning
Content provided by Center for Responsive Schools
Develop awareness, recognition, and understanding of the social and emotional competencies of cooperation, assertiveness, responsibility, empathy, and self-control, and how those competencies contribute to fostering SEL skills in student communities. Explore how to strengthen social and emotional competence through skill development, deepen understanding of and appreciation for the difference between social competence and emotional competence. Explore approaches to effectively teach social and emotional competencies to students and establish their importance in school communities.
Develop awareness, recognition, and understanding of the social and emotional competencies of cooperation, assertiveness, responsibility, empathy, and self-control, and how those competencies contribute to fostering SEL skills in student communities. Explore how to strengthen social and emotional competence through skill development, deepen understanding of and appreciation for the difference between social competence and emotional competence. Explore approaches to effectively teach social and emotional competencies to students and establish their importance in school communities.
Ellie Cornecelli
Lead Program Developer,
Center for Responsive Schools
Anjail Kenyatta
Lead Program Developer,
Center for Responsive Schools
Jazmine Tavenner
Director of Programs,
Center for Responsive Schools
1:00–3:00 p.m. ET
Teaching Academic and Social Skills Through Response to Intervention
Content provided by Solution Tree
Join the authors of Behavior Solutions who have identified research-based processes to create a three-tiered system of supports to help boost student metacognition and create an action plan for meeting students’ psychological needs.
Join the authors of Behavior Solutions who have identified research-based processes to create a three-tiered system of supports to help boost student metacognition and create an action plan for meeting students’ psychological needs.
Austin Buffum
Author
Jessica Djabrayan Hannigan
Assistant Professor,
Educational Leadership Department, California State University, Fresno, Calif.
John Hannigan
Executive Leadership Coach for the Superintendent of Schools,
Fresno Unified School District, Fresno, Calif.
Mike Mattos
Author, Presenter, Practitioner
1:00–3:00 p.m. ET
The Secret of SEL: Learning Experiences That Intrinsically Motivate Students
Content provided by Classcraft
With many schools suddenly shifting to remote learning, social-emotional learning matters now more than ever. Students face an entirely new set of SEL challenges as they adjust to learning at home, and teachers must find new ways to provide support.
Join this discussion to learn why promoting students’ SEL growth starts with being able to intrinsically motivate students—online or in the classroom. We’ll also discuss how educators can combine experiential approaches to SEL with curriculum to develop and assess student progress toward SEL goals.
With many schools suddenly shifting to remote learning, social-emotional learning matters now more than ever. Students face an entirely new set of SEL challenges as they adjust to learning at home, and teachers must find new ways to provide support.
Join this discussion to learn why promoting students’ SEL growth starts with being able to intrinsically motivate students—online or in the classroom. We’ll also discuss how educators can combine experiential approaches to SEL with curriculum to develop and assess student progress toward SEL goals.
Shawn Young
CEO and Co-Founder,
Classcraft
Kimberly Harrington Markus
Executive Director of Innovation, Mount Olive Township School District, Morris County, N.J., and former Commissioner of Education, New Jersey Department of Education